Don't do this to me
by basketballchick13
Summary: Toph Suki Sokka are missing. Katar is taking it the hardest.There's secrets that might make Zuko katara's relationship stronger, or it could rip them apart. They go on a mission to find them, but what if it's too late? For some it already is. Plz Read!
1. Chapter 1

I had some important business to do. First off, Sokka, Suki and Toph were all missing. Second, I had almost gone missing when I went to town one day and someone jumped me and tried to stuff me into a bag. But fortunately, they weren't benders, so I easily beat them. I needed to know what was going on. Every time I saw Zuko, he would be staring at me like there was something wrong, but he absolutely never made eye contact with me like he used to.

But maybe right now wasn't the best time. It sounded like Zuko and Mai were fighting again. But what exactly were they fighting about? I leaned against the giant door and pressed my ear against it. At the moment, I really didn't care that it was rude, I just needed to know what they were always fighting about. Especially since Zuko's rooms was right next to mine and I could hear them for hours on end yealling and shouting. I had lost over 30 hours of sleep because of it, I kind of had a right to know what the heck they were talking about.

"Why don't you just face it, Zuko?" It was Mai.

Face what? I thought.

"I've got it all figured out, Mai. You have to remember that I'm the leader of this country and you're not." His voice was like steel. He never even mentioned that. This had to be something that he didn't want to talk about this subject.

"Three of your friends are missing, Zuko. You have to do something. Why aren't you doing something about it? Trying to find them?"

"Because if I don people will find out about it." He explained, not making any sense to me, and Mai's next comment gave away that she did really either.

"What people?" she asked. "Who are you worried about? Wait… you're worried about Katara aren't you? Sokka is her brother and Suki's practically her twin sister, just from another mom. And Toph is her little sister. You need to loo for them. Do you know what it will do to Katara, if she finds out that you didn't do anything?"

Whoa, I never knew that she was that worried about me. I considered her a slight friend who I could have a conversation with, but only about things like clothes or current events or something like that. Now, she was worried about what would happen to me if I found out, which I already did.

There was a long deadly silence in there for a second. Then I heard Mai scream. Oh, my gosh!! What was Zuko doing, this didn't seem like him. I opened the door and barged in. But Zuko wasn't standing anywhere near Mai, they were about twenty feet apart. In between them there was about 7 men, big and bulky. There was another five or six around them. One of them had Zukos hand pinned behind him, so he couldn't fire bend very easily.

I took all the water from the small water fountain just outside his west window. I froze all the men in between them and made a big title wave towards Mai. I didn't mean to hit her, But I had to because there was no other way to separate her from the men pinning her down. They all went up, in a big surge of water. I looked Zuko who had actually manages to knock two guys unconscious and had almost another guys down. He didn't need his bending, he had his physical strength and stamina.

"Katara!" He shouted staring straight at me, his eyes were almost blood thirsty.

"What?" I said, mad that he was interrupting me.

"Watch out!" He pointed above me right before someone almost fell from the ceiling, me breaking his fall. I winced as the man kicked my head.

I looked at Zuko, hoping that he hadn't seen that, he would be going crazy if he noticed it. I didn't need him to stay focused on his men, while I got this punk off me. Good, he wasn't even looking in my direction. I kicked the guy in the nuts, stood up on my knees and then grabbed his arms and flipped him over my head. He stared at me, stunned.

"But you're a-

"Girl? Yeah, face it. You're not all that strong." I cut him off.

It looked like I had ticked him off big time. Oh well. He tried to push me over by kicking me in the stomach, still on the floor. I bent over for a mom, ready to puke, but my fighting instinct took over. I slid to the side just when he was about to kick me again. Made a big pointy piece of ice and then chucked it at him. I flinched when it stabbed him in the throat. All the other men looked at me and started retreating.

Why were they leaving? I was glad that they were leaving, but I had expected them to put up more of a fight. They all jumped out of the window and disappeared as quickly as they had came. I looked back to Mai who was rubbing her shoulder and blinking really hard. She seemed okay to me, although she might be sore because she had crashed into the wall, but no life threatening injuries. I would have to apologize for doing that. And I would make it clear that it was an accident.\, which it was. I would never do that to Mai. Well, not anymore. I did hurt her a few times before the end of the was, but only because she was on Azula's side.

I looked at Zuko, his jaw was stiff and he looked really mad.

"Um, are you guys okay?"

"Yeah." Replied Mai. "Thanks for watching my back."

"You're welcome." I turned to Zuko. "And you?" I was pressing, especially since he usually lied about when he got hurt.

"I'm good." He replied.

"Really?" I muttered under my breath.

"I think he has something he has to tell you." Mai glared at him.

"I'm fine okay?" He snapped, pretending he didn't hear Mai.

I looked down and almost choked. The guy wasn't breathing and I could feel a pulse anywhere. My eyes widened and I looked at both of them. They were both staring at me like there was something wrong with me.

"Katara?" They both asked "what-

I was gone before they could ask me anything.

Welll here's what was gone; _I had just killed someone. _


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't run away because I killed someone. I just didn't want them to have to tell me.

"Katara!" I heard Zuko yell after me, but I didn't look back.

"Just let her go, Zuko." Mai said. "She already knows, I can tell."

I bumped into someone while turning the corner.

"Careful there, Katara." He said, it was Uncle Iroh.

"Oh, sorry about that." I apologized.

"Why were you in such a hurry?" He asked. He looked like he already knew the answer.

"I... um…. I don't know." I stuttered.

"What were all those sounds I hear coming from Zuko's rooms?"

"Some people were trying to break in." I replied.

"Why don't you come into my study and have a cup of tea?" It was more of an order instead of a suggestion. But he never sounded like that, like he was telling you to do something.

"Alright." I agreed. "And talk about what?"

"Just things." He said in a way that made me suspicious that he was up to something.

We walked in silence down to his study and he opened the door and held it for me while I walked in.

"Zuko has been a little upset lately hasn't he?" I asked.

"Yes," Uncle Iroh replied. I can tell you are too. Would you mind telling me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just a little concerned about Sokka, Suki and Toph. I haven't heard from them in awhile."

"Ah. Well,-

There was a loud bang on his door.

"Come in!" Uncle Iroh called just barely loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear. "The door's open."

The person who came in looked a mess. It was Zuko.

"The Fire Nation council just called an emergency meeting!" He informed us. "The messenger said that it was urgent and that Katara should come along too. It's about something really mportant."

_That's why it would be called an emergency, Zuko._ I thought sarcastically.

"Why would they want me to be there?" I asked.

"Probably because you're the only ambassador from the Water Tribe. Even if you are an unofficial one." He explained.

"But I'm a girl, I thought they weren't supposed to be in the council room." I challenged

"It's unusual, but it's not prohibited. Besides, that's the War Meeting room." He said. "But I am going to change that."

"What?" I asked "Why?"

"You two can debate politics later." Interrupted Uncle Iroh. "We'd all better get going to the emergency meeting before they think something happened to us."

"Fine!" We both said refusing to look at eachother.

We always got into these stupid disputes about how he was trying to change his country for the better. I'd always told him that he was making a bad decision with doing that. Even though. Secretly inside I was glad that he was doing this. It would make women in the Fire Nation more powerful. I just hoped none of those women would be like Azula. I shuddered.

"What?" Asked Zuko looking strangely at me.

"Just cold." I lied.

Cold? I was in the Fire Nation. And even if it was winter, it was warmer here than the hottest day of summer would be at the South Pole. Obviously Zuko thought that too.

"You're cold?" He asked unbelievably.

"Shut up." I snapped.

"Okay, okay. Whatever."

I walked just a tiny bit slower so that they went in front of me. I didn't want them to see that I was rubbing my arm in the place that it really hurt. I looked at it. It was bending, at a pretty funny angle. I blinked and looked at it again. It had to be broken, or at the least sprained. Crap, I didn't have time to heal it. And I didn't even know how to heal a broken bone anyways. It was too hard, not hard as in ability wise, but it was too stiff to move with water. Well, I actually could. But I had absolutely no ideaon how to do that without it causing me extreme pain.

"You coming. Katara?" Zuko asked stopping about twenty feet in front of me to turn around to see if I was moving forward.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." I said. I noticed that he was looking at my injured arm. So I pulled my rolled up sleeve over it and gave him a warning look that said _don't you dare say anything to anyone._

He nodded but whispered in my ear. "We're taking care of that after this stupid meeting."

I sighed but nodded regretfully. There was no way I could deny him. Last month when I broke up with Aang (I'll tell you the long story later) I had refused to eat. Zuko had stormed into my room with some food. He pinned me down first so I couldn't waterbend. Then he tied me to a chair and forced the food into my mouth, talk about a control freak. I really didn't want to go through that again. Maybe I could get out and hide before he could get to me. That was a brilliant plan.

Some guards opened the door and a whole bunch of old men were sitting at a large round table.

"Fire Lord Zuko." They all chimed at once, standing up at the same time. Were they clones or something?

"Please sit down." He reguarded them. "You all know our beloved General Iroh."

They all nodded in agreement.

"I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our council, Katara, ambassador to the Water Tribe." He said grabbing my arm and pulling me forward. His hand slipped down to my hand and he squeezed it in encouragement. Then he let go.

If I had been anywhere else, I would be fighting a tomato face right now. But now I was in front of the most important people in the Fire Nation. Zuko wasn't the reason my face was hot, I was just so freaking nervous.

"Hi." I said lamely.

They all smiled uncertainly at me and sat back down. I sat down at Zuko's left and Uncle Iroh and his right.

"Would you gentlemen like to tell me what the emergency is?" He asked calmly, but with a sharp edge in it.

"It's about the laws of being a firelord." One said.

"May I ask what exactly this law is you're referring to?" _Jeez Zuko. You're never this formal when you're talking to anyone else. But then again, with these guys, I don't blame you._

"You're required to get married within the next five months. And it would be best if you told us by the end of this month, or the beginning of next." The same one said. "We all agree that it would be best if you married Mai."

I had no idea why, but I felt like my heart had just been ripped out. Why did I care who he married? I just thought that he should have the right to choose. But, he was already in love with Mai, so what why weren't they married by now. Though, they were a bit young.

For the second time that day, I wanted to make a break for it, bolt out of the room. But, since Zuko's reputation as Fire Lord was at stake here, I decided to do it in a little bit more sophisticated way.


	3. Chapter 3

I stood up again and they all turned to look at me.

"If you will all excuse, I am not feeling well." I stepped out of the room and the guards opened the door for me. As soon as the doors were closed, I ran for my room.

I pushed the doors open then slammed them shut. What was wrong with me? It's not like I should even care if he married Mai. But, something was telling me that I did. I have to get over this. I flopped onto my bed and sighed. Then, I realized, the lie that I had told the council was actually true. I felt almost as bad as when Sokka gave me that cold and Aang had made us suck on frozen toads, but that still beat this thing.

After a while, Zuko stormed in.

"Do you ever knock?" I snapped.

"Do you always run away like that?" He defended.

"I'm not feeling good." I said, this time I wasn't lying.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"My arm just hurts okay?" I hissed. "Now go away! You have to go back to the stupid meeting."

"I've got all the time I need." He said. "I told them that I would make up my mind a month before the five month deadline. And that was the end of the conversation."

"I still want my privacy please." I said.

"After we take care of your arm." He said.

I groaned, Did he ever leave me alone.

"Don't you have to go tell Mai, that you guys are getting married in a couple months?" I asked.

"So that's what this is about?" He muttered.

"What?!" I said.

"Nevermind. Mai and I aren't going to get married." He insisted. "We already decided on that. She doesn't want to be Fire Lady. That's why we decided to break up."

"You never told anyone that." I said.

"We never did, so the council wouldn't try to set me up with some daughter of a stupid diplomat of noble. We agreed to pretend we were still courting, but we're not really together anymore."

"Oh, okay." I was glad I had managed to change the subject away from my arm.

"We need to take care of your arm." He said.

"Dang it." I muttered under my breath. "I can take care of myself. I don't need any of your help. I'm tired of you always trying to control my life."

"I don't control your life." He objected.

"Well, what about that time you forced me to eat?"

"Aang and Toph told me to do that. And you know what Toph is like if you don't do what she says. Plus, you hadn't eaten in like a week."

"Oh." I said, so that's why he did it.

"But if you don't want me to be around anymore, then fine!"

"Fine!" I yelled back. "Then go away!" I pointed to the door like he didn't know where it was.

He stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him. We really had some relationshop problems when it came to stuff like this. Then he came back in.

"What?" I said looking at him.

"I'm still going to take care of your arm." He insisted.

I groaned. "How?" I asked.

"I was just going to put it in a sling." He explained.

"Fine then, just hurry up." I ordered.

He ripped my over sized napkin off of my table, where I usually healed Sokka, because he always got hurt by being an idiot. I would wipe up any left over water that I had spilled with the napkin.

"Sit down." His voice was a little bit more gentle now.

I guess I should have expected it, once he said something, he always did it. Well, with the exception of wanting to kill Aang.

I sat down in the stiff chair and placed my arm on top of the table. Zuko was still a little bit mad, so when he grabbed my arm, he grabbed it way too tight. I held back a wince, but he loosened his grip a little bit, so I guessed that he'd realized his grip was too tight.

In about five minutes he had it all wrapped up.

"You want me out of your life?" He asked. "well, your wish is going to come true."

He left without another word.

What did he mean by that? Oh great, he wasn't going to kill himself was he? No, he cared too much about his country and getting the world back into balance to do that.

"Sorry Zuko." I muttered.

I needed to find everyone that was missing. But how? I didn't really care how, just that I needed to. I dug through my dresser and found my water Tribe bag. I just started to throw random things in there, clothes supplies and other things. If he didn't want to see me, he was also getting his wish. I would be leaving, soon, very soon.

An arrow flew threw my window, making me jump. I looked out my window, and almost got hit by another arrow. I dove to the side, which unfortunately was the side my window was on. The ledge was really low so I ended up losing my balance and tipping over the side. Luckily I grabbed my curtain that was hanging outside. _Don't let go_ I told myself. It was like a hundred feet down since I was on the top story.

I tried to climb up the curtain, but it almost ripped. I decided that that wasn't the best way to get back up. But I didn't want to go down either.

"Katara!" It was Mai, her voice was coming down from below me. "What are you trying to do? Kill yourself?"

"No!" I shouted back at her. "I'm stuck. Please get help."

"Okay, just hang on and don't let go."

"I don't plan on it." I assured her.

"Right, just stay there and I'm going to get Zuko."

Well, I couldn't really go anymore.

_Zuko, great, just great._


	4. Chapter 4

Mai ran into Zuko, literally. I saw the whole thing from above. Hanging down from the drapes, hanging on for my _freaking life. _

"Zuko!" She said. "Katara needs your help."

"No she doesn't. She doesn't want me to have anything to do with her." He said.

"So you're just going to let her die?" Mai asked.

"No- woah."He said, finally getting a look at me.

I looked at him and waved. "Hey Zuko. I'm just, you know, hanging."

"Can't you go two minutes without getting into trouble?" He yelled at me.

"Well… not really." I admitted. "Can you please just get me down from here?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He reassured.

He disappeared from my sight. It was about another minute before my arms became numb and I couldn't feel them anymore. Then Zuko peered down from my window.

"Keep holding on." Mai called.

"You don't have to worry about that." I told her.

Zuko grabbed the curtain and started to pull it up, with me along with it. I could hear it ripping shred by shred, but he kept pulling it up. Right when I was almost to the window, about a foot away, the last shred ripped and winced at the thought that I was going to fall to the ground. Today just wasn't my day.

I felt Zuko grab under my arms and pulled me up. When I got inside, he immediately let go.

"Thanks," I said awkwardly.

"No problem." He said.

Mai came rushing in.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm good." I said.

"Okay, now how about you both?" She asked.

"What are you talking about?" Zuko questioned.

"You two know that I know that you're fighting." She told us, crossing her arms across her chest.

"What about it?" I challenged.

"You two need to make up." She insisted. "the safety of the world is more important than whatever you're fighting about. If you two never talk to each other, then you wont come up with the great ideas that you two always come up with while together."

Zuko and I looked at each other. If we made up now, it would be our shortest fight ever. Well, since the last part of the war at least. Actually, this was the first time we had ever agreed to stay out of each

"Sorry," We both muttered to each other at the same time.

"I'll try more tomorrow." Mai mumbled and disappeared from my room, Zuko along with her.

I could hear them out of my room though. I couldn't help it, they were right outside of my door.

"What was that about, Mai?" He asked her.

"You know what is was about. You guys need one another. You are each others best friends. And don't say you're not, because I've seen you two together. You get along so well, when you aren't fighting. So, next time you see her BE NICE!" Whoa, I had never in my life heard her express so much emotion in so few sentences.

"Okay." He agreed.

"Zuko…don't do this to her. She already knows about our missing friends. One of them is her brother. She needs you to be with her right now, since they might be…gone."

I inhaled sharply after she said that. I just didn't want to accept what might be the truth. It was enough that they were missing right now, but the fact that they might be dead was way too much.

I looked the painting that Sokka had drawn in Iroh's tea shop about two months ago. It was well…unique. Zuko had spiked hair, Suki was fire bending and I had hair loopies that looked like Momo's ears. He was not the best artist ever, but it was all I really had from him though.

Where were they? Were they even still alive? And what about dad? Where was he? I usually heard from him once a week or more and I hadn't heard from him in over three weeks. I felt nauseous, it was the way I felt instead of crying, when I was holding back tears.

I fell onto my bed, hitting it with a big clunk. All those questions haunted me until I finally fell asleep, but it wasn't much help though. My nightmare was worse than anyone I had ever had.

_My dad's name was on the list of who was fighting in the siege in the town about a mile in front of us. My breath caught in my throat as I ran towards the town. I had to get him out of there._

"_Katara" someone yelled after me, Zuko._

_I didn't look back. It would distract me too much from reaching the town soon enough. Reached the town quicker than I ever thought possible for me. But it wasn't the best choice I'd ever made._

_There was a body that I tripped over. I started to run again, but something made me turn back and look at it. I screamed bloody murder._

_It was Chief Hakoda, my dad._

"_DAD!" I shouted. "No, don't do this to me."_

Somebody was shaking me back in the real world.

Whoever it was, I was so thankful to them for bringing me out of this hell. I was way surpised when I saw who it was.

It was Zuko. 


End file.
